Social Affairs Minister awaits presidential directive on strengthening social assistance after fuel price hike

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has stated that his ministry is still awaiting instructions from President Prabowo Subianto regarding the potential strengthening of social assistance programmes (bansos) following the increase in non-subsidised fuel prices (BBM) effective 10 June 2026. “We will wait for the policy from the President through the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs,” Saifullah said when met at his office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.

According to him, the government is currently reviewing various social protection options should the economic pressure from the fuel price hike be felt by vulnerable community groups. One scenario under consideration is thickening social assistance in the middle of the year, similar to what was done in 2025. Another option being weighed, Saifullah said, is expanding the number of aid recipients at the end of the year as was done last year. “So for that, today it is certainly being discussed on an ongoing basis. The Ministry of Social Affairs is certainly preparing in case there is a decision that requires us to thicken or expand the number of bansos recipients,” he said.

Previously, a number of economists warned that the increase in non-subsidised fuel prices, with Pertamax rising to Rp 16,250 per litre and Pertamax Green to Rp 17,000 per litre, poses a risk to public consumption. Trimegah Sekuritas Indonesia Chief Economist Fakhrul Fulvian assessed that the government must immediately offset the increase with a cash social assistance programme that is swift, well-targeted, and capable of maintaining purchasing power. According to him, it must be ensured that affected communities do not bear the entire burden of the adjustment. “The government must immediately prepare direct cash assistance as an economic cushion for vulnerable groups, the lower-middle class, and the communities most affected by the increase in transportation costs and daily necessities,” he said via a written statement on Thursday, 11 June 2026.